On our way to Clermont Ferrand we passed by a few villages we thought were worth a look. The first was Brioude to see the Basilica. It was built in the 11th and 12th Century and is a National Monument, however there was a funeral happening so only saw the outside. Second village was Issoire to see the Abby Church of Saint-Austremoine built in the 12th Century. We will let you work out which is which. Too many bloody churches to remember!

Clermont Ferrand is the Capital of the Auvergne region. It was originally two towns , Clermont and Montferrand. They were joined together by Louis XV111. It is one of the oldest cities in France and surrounded by dormant (thank God) volcanoes and many of the buildings are made from black lava stone.

Our apartment is on the 9th floor and we have views of the Puy de Dome and the Michelin Factory. Happy to say we do have a lift which makes things a bit easier!

On our first night we decided to eat out and we went to La Table de Thierry. The reason we chose this restaurant was because the reviews of the duck confit were good , and as it’s Rhonda’s favourite we decided to see if the reviews were correct. It was! The duck was delicious and the roasted fig and ice cream for dessert was really good too. It was only a small restaurant, only 6 tables , and Thierry , the chef , made himself known to all the diners. It was a bit of fun with Rhonda testing out her French language skills!

We have done a few self guided walks around the historic centre. One of the main squares , the Place de Victoire is dominated by The Cathedral Notre Dame -de-L’Assomption , a Gothic style Cathedral with magnificent stained windows. Work began in 1248 and took 7 centuries to complete. It is built of black lava volcanic stone.

On another walk we came across the Place de Juade and discovered the beautiful Opera Theatre House. To our luck it was open for an exhibition and we were able to go inside and see the actual theatre AND it was free! It dates back to the 19th Century but was inspired by the Opera Garnier in Paris , but on a much smaller scale. It was pretty stunning.

We had another dinner out and we discovered the local dish of Truffade. It’s basically a huge bowl of potato bake , drowned in cheese and bacon. It’s served with salad and jambon and saucisson. How could it not be good!!!! We shared a creme brulee and it got Greg’s tick of approval, it cracked!!!

We went back to the Place de Juade because Rhonda had seen a Galleries Lafayette Store there so she wanted to check it out! It was a huge square and apparently one of the biggest in France.

On our ramblings through the streets we came across one of the most beautiful churches we had seen, the large Gothic Cathedral , The Basilica Notre Dame du Pont. It is UNESCO listed and built in the 12th Century, but neglected after the French revolution and there was a plan to demolish the church and replace it with a market hall but the inhabitants of the town made a petition and it was restored , thankfully as it was beautiful.

One of the main tourist attractions is the “Chain de Puys”, a chain of more than 80 volcanoes running 45 kilometres along with the highest being Puy De Dome at 1465 metres which we visited and it is UNESCO listed! You can climb to the top or take a train, no guessing which option we took. It was a 15 minute trip to the top and it was better than walking up for 2 hours. It was a great view from the top.

We decided to drive around a bit to see what else we could find. We stumbled across the rather gorgeous little village of Orcival with its lovely church and stone houses.

We had a picnic lunch at Pointe de Vue Roches Tuiliere et Sanadoire, two volcanoes giving a lovely view of the Fontsalade Valley in between.

Then we decided to go chasing some Chateaux. Chateau Murol sits high on a rock and was built in the 13th Century and is classified as an Historic Monument in 1889.

Chateau Chanonat , a privately owned chateau , was closed so unfortunately we couldn’t go and have a close look but it was spectacular from afar.

Chateau Opme , a 12th Century Chateau , had beautiful gardens , however at 12 euros per person to enter, and 35 degrees, we decided not to go in , and go home for a well earned drink instead!

Another meal out was a highlight for both of us. Greg had been longing for a steak tartare , and Rhonda wanted more duck confit. So we found a small restaurant that had the tartare for Greg ,and of all things there was a duck confit burger for Rhonda! OMG! Both were delicious. Couldn’t fit in dessert but managed a bottle of red instead!

Monday was a public holiday here , and in France NOTHING is open so we went for a drive around the countryside. First stop was Thiers and it is known as the “French Cutlery Capital”. We wandered around the Old Town which had some gorgeous half timbered old houses.

Next stop was Ambert, again some lovely half timbered houses of rich merchants , some dating back to the 15th Century. It’s main attraction is it’s 15th Century Gothic styled Church of Saint Jean. There was a service on so we had to wait to go inside, and like a lot of French Churches, it was far more spectacular from the outside.

Last stop was Billom and we had left the best till last. It had a great Medieval Quarter with loads of gorgeous houses and cobbled streets and no people due to the Public Holiday!

The final area we hadn’t discovered was the Montferrand district. We did another walk through the historic centre, and saw more lovely buildings.

We have enjoyed our stay in Clermont Ferrand and now it’s time to move on, with only one week to go! Tomorrow it’s off to Perigueux to stay with our “French Family” for 3 nights.

So , It’s time to pack

A Bientot

Love Greg and Rhonda